What, you missed the furious little fan-wank when they cast a black man as Ford Prefect? It was the strangest thing I've ever seen. "But the book doesn't SAAAAAAY he's black! IT'S NOT RIGHT HE SHOULD BE WHITE! Oh, and I'm not racist."
Well, a lot of people were more like "Hmm, I never thought of Ford as black... that's an interesting choice, I'll have to see if this Mos Def person can act at all." And that's an understandable reaction. It was the people who got all up in arms about the casting choice because it was WRONG OMG WRONG and then insisted that they weren't racist that amused me. In my experience, people who feel the need to get all defensive about being racist are hiding something, especially if they start protesting before anyone so much as mentions racism.
I kind of applaud the casting choice, actually. For a long time, minorities have been complaining that they only get cast specifically because of their race, not on the basis of their acting skills alone, because white is still the default setting for all "normal" characters. Which is silly.
It would be less of an issue if Zaphod were black. This is the same problem I had with Keanu Reeves in Ken Branagh's Much Ado (that, and Keanu can't act).
I've seen the trailer now, and I see the second head, but I hate it.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2005-02-16 07:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 07:41 pm (UTC)Gee, now I have to go back, and post on that stupid filetmignon comm just to tell that twit that, no, I am *not* posting in every wank.
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Date: 2005-02-17 05:56 am (UTC)*shrugs*
I'm more concerned by Zaphod apparently having one head and two arms.
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Date: 2005-02-17 09:16 am (UTC)I kind of applaud the casting choice, actually. For a long time, minorities have been complaining that they only get cast specifically because of their race, not on the basis of their acting skills alone, because white is still the default setting for all "normal" characters. Which is silly.
Sorry, to add...
Date: 2005-02-17 06:39 am (UTC)I've seen the trailer now, and I see the second head, but I hate it.